World
India
In a high-profile case that shocked Maharashtra, a sessions court in Panvel on Monday sentenced former police inspector and President’s medal recipient Abhay Kurundkar to life imprisonment for the 2016 murder of Assistant Police Inspector Ashwini Bidre-Gore, with whom he was in a relationship.
The court held that while the crime involved gruesome brutality, including dismembering and disposing of the body, it did not fall under the “rarest of rare” category warranting the death penalty. Judge K.R. Paldewar noted the possibility of reformation given the convict’s family circumstances, including the loss of his wife and responsibility for an unmarried son.
Ashwini Bidre, 37, who was part of the Navi Mumbai Police’s Human Rights Cell, went missing on April 11, 2016. According to the prosecution, she was strangled to death at Kurundkar’s residence in Thane, following disputes over her demand for marriage. Kurundkar then allegedly cut her body into pieces, stuffed it into a trunk and a sack, and disposed of it in Vasai creek. Her remains were never recovered, and the case was built entirely on circumstantial evidence.
Call for Death Penalty
Special Public Prosecutor Pradeep Gharat, representing the Maharashtra government, had demanded capital punishment, arguing the crime had shaken the collective conscience of society. He emphasized that a senior officer killing a woman colleague and attempting to erase evidence reflected a grave abuse of power.
“Kurundkar’s actions reflect extreme cruelty. When a police officer commits such an act, it undermines public trust in law enforcement,” Gharat told the court.
Delayed Justice, Alleged Cover-Up
Ashwini’s family alleged that the initial police investigation was lackadaisical, and that Kurundkar was even recommended for the President’s Medal for Gallantry in 2017, after the murder. Ironically, it was the same year he was arrested in connection with the case.
Gharat also urged the court to take action under Section 109 of the IPC (abetment) against police officers who allegedly helped in covering up the crime.
Co-Accused Walk Free After Serving Time
Two of Kurundkar’s associates his driver Kundan Bhandari and friend Mahesh Phalanikar were also convicted for destruction of evidence. However, since they had already spent over six years in jail, exceeding the punishment for their offence, the court ordered their release.
Ashwini Bidre was married to Raju Gore, an engineer and social activist, and had a daughter. She had been living separately in Navi Mumbai due to marital issues. The prosecution alleged that her relationship with Kurundkar turned fatal when she insisted on formalizing their relationship through marriage.
The judgment brings closure to a nearly decade-long fight for justice by Ashwini’s family, even as calls grow louder for internal reforms in the police force and greater accountability among senior officers.
ALSO READ: BJP Calls Kerala’s LDF Rule A ‘Lost Decade’, UDF Joins Chorus Of Criticism
